


Christmas Sprites

by t_shirt



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: And More Fluff, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:14:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22025404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_shirt/pseuds/t_shirt
Summary: It's a little late to post a Christmas fic this year, but selavi.
Relationships: 1x2 - Relationship, 3x4, 5+all
Kudos: 8





	Christmas Sprites

Christmas Sprites  
1x2, 3x4  
Fluff, fluff and oh yeah…fluff ^-^  
Totally OOC but then aren’t they all?

Summary: An anonymous gift turns Christmas upside down.

Part 1

“Duoooo!”

“Coming!” he sang hurrying to take his secret Santa present out of his drawer before going to join his coworkers. 

“It’s your turn,” Melody laughed urging him to the forefront by the small tree on the table by the window.

“Wait,” he chuckled dropping the present under the tree before accepting the one Melody was handing him. 

“Go on!” she enthused excitedly, then glanced at Hiiro who stood by in his usual passive way. 

“Alright,” Duo smiled trying not to glance at Hiiro and failing while he opened the box and froze. 

“What is it?” Tsumi grinned standing to have a peek, then squealing while her face flushed red and she laughed. 

“Alright, who’s the wise guy?” Melody chuckled pulling a pair of strawberry eatable panties out of the box. 

“Who cares,” Tsumi laughed. “Try them on!”

Duo’s eyes shifted involuntarily to Hiiro, but he hadn’t changed expression before hurrying to find a seat. 

“Very funny,” Melody giggled taking another present from beneath the tree. “Hiiro?”

He took it and flipped it open with an air of dismissal, but stopped when he looked inside. 

“An external hard drive?” Tsumi gasped, then smacked Duo. “You idiot! That’s way over the limit!”

“You weren’t supposed to spend that much!” Melody chimed in. 

“It was on sale,” Duo defended while he ducked the playful slaps Tsumi was inflicting on him and steadfastly avoided looking in Hiiro’s direction. 

“We can use it at the office,” Hiiro bargained calling a halt to the punishment and Duo smiled. 

“There’s one more,” Melody observed digging in the back to retrieve it.

“But that should have been the last of them,” Tsumi commented sitting up curiously. 

“It’s addressed to Duo,” Melody shrugged handing it over. 

“No fair,” Tsumi pouted. 

“Maybe someone from another department put it there,” Melody reasoned urging Duo to open it, but when he did everyone stalled. 

Inside the box were three small figurines in the unmistakable forms of fairies that made Tsumi and Melody cringe. 

“Duo…” Melody tried to console, but his face was already so red he was in danger of a nose bleed.

“It’s no big deal,” he lied while he closed the box and grabbed his coat. 

“It’s childish and cruel,” Tsumi grumbled. “Just because you’re…” but she stopped when Duo’s eyes suddenly flashed on Hiiro and his ears joined his face on the blush brigade. 

“I should go,” he said awkwardly while he gathered the rest of his things. 

“Merry Christmas, Duo,” Melody offered managing to steal a quick hug. 

“Merry Christmas!” Tsumi shouted after him. 

**

The streets were busy with shoppers and people rushing to get their last minute errands done before the holiday, but he made it home in good time. The elevator was broken, though it had been for over a month so that was no surprise, but the stairs were wetter than usual because the snow was heavy outside. It was odd for it to snow so much so early in the season, but it made it seem a little more like Christmas so he was okay with it. 

“Merry Christmas, Duo,” Mrs. Edlemeir from across the hall smiled when he stopped at his door. 

“Hello, Mrs. Edlemeir,” he replied. “Are you going to the home?”

“Oh, yes,” she smiled indicating a shopping bag on her arm. “It’s my turn to call bingo.”

“Have a nice time,” he told her and she smiled before they parted ways. 

His apartment was small but adequate though he did turn the heat up a little since he left it down when he wasn’t in. The boxes were placed on the coffee table before he headed into the kitchen to start his dinner. 

“Damn it,” he grumbled when he realized he forgot to stop and pick up the main course. “Assholes,” he groused while he poured himself a short brandy to warm his bones and thought of the spites that had upset him so much he forgot his dinner. 

He hadn’t been razed about being gay since high school, which admittedly wasn’t that long ago, but he’d hoped to leave the childishness behind. Curious over the origin of the package he went to the couch and opened the box, but couldn’t think of who might have given it to him. 

“They’re kind of pretty,” he observed noting that the craftsmanship was superb. It was so odd, but they almost looked like each one was as individual as a snowflake. “I wonder where they found male fairies?” he mused holding the little blond one up for inspection. 

It was so finely carved he could almost see the pupils of his cerulean eyes with bright, blond hair and wings of shimmering teal. The next was taller with emerald wings and a shock of auburn hair over one of his green eyes. 

“You’re a happy fellow,” Duo laughed when he inspected the third and found a frown upon his tiny lips. 

He was obviously Chinese, which confused him since he was aware the Chinese didn’t celebrate Christmas and his wings were black though they were mostly transparent like the others. It seemed strange that someone would spend the sort of money it would cost to buy such exquisite carvings for a prank, so he entertained the thought that perhaps they weren’t given maliciously after all. Intrigued that he might actually have a secret admirer he smiled and got up to place them on the small tree that sat on a table in the corner. 

“You’re actually quite handsome,” he smiled while he situated them just so. “I wish you guys could talk so you could tell me where you came from though,” he said, then fell flat on his ass when the figures sparkled and started flying around. “Wha!?” he gasped scooting as fast as he could across the carpet when the blond one came right at him. 

“Hello!” he grinned while he hovered before his astonished eyes. 

“I’m crazy,” Duo breathed. 

“I’m Quatre,” the fairy giggled doing a happy, little spin in the air. “Nice to meet you, Crazy!”

“No,” Duo corrected, then shook his head, but it didn’t help. “My name is Duo.”

“He doesn’t know his name?” the one with the green wings flew over to ask. 

“Of course I do!” Duo snipped banging his head with his hand, but that didn’t help either. “It’s Duo.”

“Hello, Duo!” Quatre grinned. “This is Trowa and that’s Wufei.”

“What are you?” Duo inquired giving up on knocking some sense into himself. 

“Why, we’re sprites of course!” 

“Elves,” Trowa corrected. 

“Elves do not have wings,” Quatre countered haughtily. “Right, Wufei?”

“Do not attempt to stereotype me,” he grumbled from where he’d lighted on the windowsill. 

“I’ve lost my mind,” Duo droned. 

“He doesn’t believe in us,” Quatre giggled as if it was the cutest thing ever. 

“He has eyes,” Wufei sighed. “What’s not to believe?”

Duo glanced at the Christmas tree while a light brightened his face and he asked excitedly, “Are you Christmas sprites?”

However, Quatre’s inquiry was, “What’s Christmas?”

Duo was so stunned he skipped a beat, then tried again, “You know, Christmas,” while he indicated the brightly lit tree. 

“Oh, it’s so beautiful!” Quatre sang flying over to have a look. “Did you grow it?”

“Grow it?” Duo echoed. “No, it’s artificial.”

“Artiwhat?” 

“He means it’s fake,” Trowa enlightened him. 

“Oh,” Quatre sighed looking sad. “No wonder it smells funny.”

“It is pretty though,” Trowa consoled coming to wrap a gentle arm around him that totally flipped Duo’s switch. 

“Wait,” he said while he tried to put it together. “You’ve never seen a Christmas Tree before?”

“What’s Christmas?” Quatre reiterated looking so adorably lost Duo had to shake his head again. 

“But you came to life when I put you on the tree,” he reasoned. 

“Is Christmas magic!” Quatre enthused as his eyes grew large and sparkled with inhuman light. 

Duo laughed in spite of himself and for the first time in his life felt he was telling the truth when he replied, “Yes.”

“Then that’s for us!” Quatre declared. 

“Wait,” Trowa cautioned. “How do we know he’s telling the truth?”

“Why would I lie?” Duo inquired. 

“Do you see any cages around here?” Quatre asked. 

“Perhaps his game is coercion,” Wufei stated evenly while he rose into the air. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Duo informed them. 

“How did you summon us?” Wufei demanded getting right in his face and Duo swallowed nervously when his wings began to glow red. 

“I didn’t!” Duo insisted. “Honest! Someone gave you to me for Christmas!”

“Was he a wizard?” Trowa inquired. 

“I don’t know,” Duo grumbled getting up so Wufei couldn’t hover in his face anymore. “It was anonymous and you came to life when I hung you on the tree.”

“That tree?” Wufei scoffed. 

“But, it’s not even real,” Quatre commented looking to Trowa. 

“Can we trust him?” Wufei demanded. 

“I sense no animosity in him,” Quatre smiled. 

“Perhaps the fates intended for him to help us,” Trowa suggested. 

“Help you what?” Duo inquired cautiously. 

“Find the magic,” Quatre grinned. 

“Find magic?”

“We’re sprites,” Quatre explained ignoring the disgruntled snort from Trowa. “So we need magic to survive.” 

“If we don’t find some soon,” Trowa added coming to wrap a comforting arm around Quatre, “we’ll fade away.”

“So where is it?” Wufei demanded. 

“I don’t know,” Duo replied. 

“You said Christmas was magic,” Trowa reminded him. “So show it to us.”

“We won’t take much,” Quatre smiled reassuringly and Duo stalled when his eyes seemed to grow much too large. 

“I’m sorry,” he stammered, “but it doesn’t work like that.”

“Why not?” Wufei snipped. 

“Because,” Duo sighed. “Christmas isn’t a thing.”

“Can we go there?” Trowa wondered. 

“No,” Duo replied contritely. “It isn’t a place either.”

“Then how can we find it?” Wufei wanted to know.

Duo was about to tell them he had no idea, but the forlorn expressions on their little faces was more than he could bear. “Come on,” he smiled. “We’ll find it together.”

**

“Wooow!” Quatre exclaimed poking his head out of the bag Duo was carrying. “What is this place?”

“It’s the mall,” Duo replied thinking he should have thought this over better beforehand, but it was too late. 

“Is that Christmas?” Trowa wondered while he considered a lighted display in a window.

“No,” Duo sighed while he stared at the twinkling ‘50% off’ sign. “That’s commercialism.”

“Is it magic?” Quatre asked crinkling his nose at it. 

“No,” Duo replied. 

“What are we looking for?” Wufei asked ducking down when a woman and small child passed by.

“I’m not sure,” Duo told him while he walked down the isle. “But all of these people are here for Christmas so maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“What’s that!?” Quatre suddenly gushed before he shot out of the bag and made a mad dash for the central fountain where he laughed and giggled as he flew through the curtains of water until Trowa hit him so hard he sprinkled dust and pinned him to the bottom of the second tier. 

“What was that, mommy?” a young girl asked her parents as they passed by. 

“It looked like a dragonfly,” she mused. 

“In December?” the father wondered moving them along. 

“Are you alright?” Trowa asked while Duo swallowed his heart. 

“Sorry,” Quatre offered ducking back in the bag with Trowa while no one was looking. 

“It’s been a long time,” Wufei observed having a good look around. 

“Everything’s different,” Quatre agreed sadly. 

“We’ll find our way home,” Trowa promised tucking him close. “Just as soon as we find the magic.”

Duo frowned while he thought it over, but he still had no idea how to help them when Wufei asked, “Who’s that?”

“Hm?” Duo hummed. “Oh, that’s Santa.”

“Is he a wizard?” Trowa wondered seeing the pointed hat on his head. 

Duo opened his mouth to refute the idea, then paused to consider his bag of mythical creatures. “It’s worth a shot,” he shrugged, then walked over to get in line. 

“He seems a little…discouraged,” Quatre observed. 

Duo watched while the man with the fake beard hurried the kid that was visiting him along with a candy cane before setting the next child on his knee. 

“Is he a good wizard?” Trowa wondered seeing the frustrated impatience on the guys face. 

“He’s not really a wizard,” Duo explained, then added on an afterthought, “He’s not really Santa either.”

“Where can we find the real one?” Wufei demanded. 

“Well,” Duo tried to explain. “I’m not actually sure he’s real, but…”

“This is a waist of time,” Wufei grumbled sinking down into the bag. 

Duo considered the haired Santa and had to agree, but wasn’t sure what else to try. However, his entire outlook on the situation changed when he heard someone call his name. 

“Duo?”

“Hiiro?!” he gasped turning to find his coworker crush standing behind him. 

“What’re you doing here?” Hiiro wondered glancing at the line forward and back. 

“Oh, um,” Duo replied intelligently. “I just…wanted to get Santa to write thanks on my niece’s letter,” he lied feeling utterly lame. 

“You couldn’t write it yourself?” Hiiro chuckled. 

“She knows my handwriting,” Duo reasoned while he discretely poked Quatre’s head back down in the bag. “What brings you out?” 

“Hello,” a young, blonde girl smiled when she stepped up to Hiiro’s side. “There you are.”

“Hi,” Duo replied feeling his stomach sink when she took Hiiro’s arm. 

“This is Relena,” Hiiro informed him. 

“Duo,” he offered a smile though his skin had paled. 

“We work together,” Hiiro elaborated when she questioned him with a glance. 

“I see,” she smiled. “You must be very talented to work on Hiiro’s team.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Duo shrugged. 

“Don’t let him fool you,” Hiiro smiled. “He’s the best artist in the company. That’s why I wanted him with me.”

Duo knew it was how he felt, but he’d started to entertain the idea that there was more to it than his artistic skills that brought them together. To have it stated so simply hurt in a way he wasn’t prepared for and stole his thoughts away. 

“Well,” Relena smiled, “it was very nice to meet you.”

“Yeah,” he nodded glancing at Hiiro, “you too.”

“Merry Christmas,” Hiiro offered as he led her away. 

“Merry Christmas,” Duo replied robotically, then gasped, “ah!” when Quatre zoomed under his shirt. “What’re you doing?” he grumbled ducking behind a display where he tried to extract him. 

“I smell magic,” he stated determinedly while he sniffed at his sweater. 

“All that’s in there is fabric softener!” Duo insisted plucking him up and putting him back in the bag. “Look,” he breathed checking to make sure no one was watching. “You need to be more careful. People will not understand if they see you, trust me.”

“Could you taste it?” Trowa asked Quatre, but he shook his head dejectedly. 

“It’s gone now,” he sighed sadly.

“Hey,” Duo suddenly smiled. “I have an idea.”

“What now?” Wufei grumbled. 

“Well,” Duo replied while he headed for the other end of the mall. “You came to life when I put you on my Christmas tree right?”

“So you say,” Wufei agreed testily. 

“So maybe the magic of Christmas is in the tree,” Duo smiled while he stopped in front of the malls twenty feet tall mass of brightly decorated, artificial greenery. 

“Trowa! Look!” Quatre gasped, but he barely managed to call his name before he darted out and started zooming around in the branches. 

“Quatre!” Duo hissed going after him while Trowa and Wufei gave chase.

“Look!” Quatre sang while people started to stare. “Sprites!” he gushed hitting one so hard it nearly dislodged it. 

“Those are wooden elf ornaments!” Duo hissed from below.

“Is there a problem?”

“Wha?” Duo gasped turning to stare into the cross eyes of a tall security guard. 

“What’s wrong with them?” Quatre wondered when the ornament didn’t hug him back. 

“They’re not real,” Trowa soothed trying to ease him back into the branches without being seen while Wufei zipped up to join them. 

“What was that?” the security guard demanded pushing past Duo. 

“Nothing!” he chirped, then amended, “It’s probably just a dragonfly or something.”

“In December?” 

“Hey, you don’t want to mess up the tree, right?” Duo reasoned when he started to poke at the branches with his nightstick. 

“Whoa!” the guard gasped when he poked the right branch and Quatre bolted in terror with Trowa and Wufei hot on his heels. “What is that?!” he gasped when they did a circle around the tree then dove into Duo’s bag where he closed them in tight and smiled at the wary guard. 

“Open the bag,” the guard demanded. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Duo inquired while he backed away. 

“Open it!” the guard snapped moving forward as if to take it, but his attention was stolen away when a tall stack of giant, faux presents that were decorating a nearby entrance suddenly scattered all over the floor. Duo’s brow knit when he saw Hiiro standing nearby smirking at him, then he squeaked when he felt the sprites dart up the back of his sweater. The sound called the guards attention back to him though he was clearly anxious to go see to the mess, but not before he demanded, “Open the bag.” Duo happily did as he was told and the guard’s brow knit crossly when he saw there was nothing inside, but he had nothing more to offer than a wary glance at the tree before he went to attend the mishap by the door. 

“Thanks,” Duo breathed when Hiiro moseyed his way. 

“No problem,” he chuckled. “What were you doing?”

“Oh, um,” Duo stammered, then giggled while his sweater wriggled around on its own. “It’s nothing!” he squeaked jerking his sweater away from his chest so Quatre’s squirming wouldn’t show. “I should get going!”

“Duo,” Hiiro prompted stalling his flight and he was prepared to say a firm goodnight, but when he turned around the expression on Hiiro’s face dislodged him. He was helpless in the light of those beautiful, blue eyes when Hiiro reached forward, curled a finger in the top of his sweater and pulled. “Duo?”

“Hn?” he hummed dreamily as Hiiro’s face was just five inches away. 

“You’re infested with fairies.”

“Umm,” was all he could come up with. 

“Are they toys?” Hiiro wondered while he stared into Quatre’s big eyes. 

“Right!” Duo breathed backing away so Hiiro couldn’t stare down his sweater anymore. “They’re toys…for my niece!” he nodded. 

“I’ve never seen a toy cry before.”

“Cry?!” Duo gasped jerking his sweater open to have a look. ‘Quatre?”

“It was here,” he sniffed while Trowa came around from the back and took him in his arms. “But it’s gone again.”

“Nooo,” Duo soothed. “Don’t cry…we’ll find it, I swear.”

“Find what?” Hiiro inquired in high amusement. 

Duo looked up at him realizing they’d been caught, but Hiiro didn’t seem to be having any major problem with it, so he decided to come clean. “The magic of Christmas.”

Hiiro smiled and suggested, “Let’s get a cup of coffee and you can tell me all about it.”

Duo smiled so brightly the lights in the room seemed to dim, then giggled and clutched his chest while they moved along and he demanded, “Stop squirming! It tickles.”

“What is it?” Trowa whispered. 

“It’s here,” Quatre quietly replied, “but it keeps wavering so I can’t get a hold of it.”

“Do you think it’s inside him?” Wufei wondered. 

“Is that possible?” Trowa inquired. 

“Anything is possible,” Quatre replied, “but if it’s in there I don’t think he knows it.”

“That might hinder its escape,” Trowa reasoned. 

“We’ll have to stay close to him until we can figure out a way to release it,” Wufei surmised. 

Part 2

“Okay,” Duo prompted while he pulled out the bottom hem of his sweater. “Everybody out.”

They complied and settled in the bag, but Trowa stalled when something decadent wafted by on the air. “What is that?” he asked sniffing deeply of the delicate scent. 

“We’re in the food court,” Duo explained. 

“It’s cinnamon,” Quatre giggled pushing Trowa’s head back into the bag when he started to float out. 

“Are you hungry?” Duo wondered. 

“Starving!” Trowa enthused eyeing the food counters with animalistic need.

“You stay here,” Duo told them setting them beside a table before taking off his sweater and draping it over the back of a chair. “We’ll bring you something, but you have to stay hidden.”

They left them beside a twinkling hedge that surrounded the central food court and went to buy some coffee and treats. 

“Where in the world did you manage to find fairies?” Hiiro chuckled while they waited in line.

“Just lucky I guess,” Duo shrugged. 

Hiiro eyed him for a moment then recalled, “It’s the ones you got for Christmas.” Duo nodded seeing no reason to keep secrets about it from him. “I guess they weren’t a bad joke after all,” Hiiro chuckled. 

“Thanks for not freaking out,” Duo smiled before ordering his coffee. 

“It’s hard to deny something that’s right in front of your face,” he reasoned doing the same. 

When they returned to the table Duo nearly had a heart attack when the sprites weren’t in the bag, but they popped up in the bush next to the table so he relaxed. The soft illumination they put off when they moved was masked by the twinkling lights in the hedge so no one noticed anything was amiss. 

“What’s that?” Quatre asked breathing reverently of the aroma of one of the treats Duo had set out on a napkin for them. 

“A raspberry cake pop,” Duo smiled. 

“It’s divine,” Quatre grinned pulling off a large piece of the chocolate shell. 

Duo smiled to see Trowa had buried his little face in the cinnamon bun and Wufei was happily munching on a scone before he asked, “Do you guys prefer sweets?”

“They sort of look like their made of sugar,” Hiiro grinned while he dared to reach out and touch the tip of Quatre’s wing gently, which made him giggle while the sparkling dust they seemed to generate fell softly from his wing. “So what’s this about Christmas magic?” Hiiro prompted having a sip of his coffee. 

“We have to find it,” Quatre explained through a mouthful of cake, “or we’ll fade away.”

Hiiro’s brow knit crossly at the thought prompting Duo to tell the tale of his rather extraordinary evening whereupon he inquired, “Do you really think there’s any magic left in the world?”

“There must be,” Duo insisted. “They’re here aren’t they?”

“We only need a little,” Quatre explained still wiping chocolate and raspberry from his cute little face. 

“Do you know where we can find it?” Trowa asked hopefully.

“I’m afraid not,” Hiiro replied frowning when Quatre pouted. “But I’d be happy to help you look.”

“What about your friend?” Duo wondered recalling the blonde girl, but she was nowhere in sight. 

“She went home,” Hiiro explained and Duo’s cheeks pinked. 

“Alright,” he grinned while he put his sweater back on. “Together, then.”

“Where to?” Quatre asked happily, but frowned when they both stalled. 

“I don’t know,” Duo sighed. “This place was a bust. We didn’t find anything helpful at all.”

But the corners of his mouth turned up when Quatre grinned and countered, “We found Hiiro.”

“Why don’t we try Eighth Street?” Hiiro suggested. “There’s a soup kitchen down there. Maybe the magic is good will toward men.”

“Soup?” Trowa echoed with interest before Quatre rolled his little eyes and dragged him back in their bag. 

“Are you guy’s cold?” Duo asked while they walked from the bus stop toward the soup kitchen. 

“It’s lovely,” Quatre sighed snuggling happily into Trowa’s arms. 

“At least now we know why people relate them to gay men,” Hiiro snickered and Duo scowled for a moment before he cocked his head and nodded. 

“It doesn’t look very…magical…does it?” Duo asked when they came upon a line of weary looking people who were standing in front of a long table where tired looking servers dished up bowls of hot soup. 

“Let’s check it out,” Trowa suggested. 

“You can’t…!” Duo objected, but they reassured him it would be fine and zipped away intent on finding the magic they craved. 

“They’ll be alright,” Hiiro insisted stepping aside when an old lady wrapped in rags pushed by them with her bowl of soup in her hands. 

“I don’t know, Hiiro,” Duo sighed while he watched her slurp at the broth. “It’s wonderful what they’re doing, but it doesn’t seem like there’s any magic here.”

“I doubt we’d know it if we saw it,” Hiiro reasoned accepting a cup of coffee from one of the servers who still had the will to smile then someone dropped their bowl at the front of the line causing a small commotion. 

“Maybe we should try to find Santa,” Duo chuckled. 

“I doubt we have time to go to the North Pole,” Hiiro reasoned turning when an old lady screamed. 

“Trowa!” Duo hissed when he saw him stealing some of the old ladies soup, then someone slapped at him as if he were a bug and he whizzed away.

The next moment everyone was shouting and dancing about while Quatre zoomed in and knocked Trowa out of the way before someone could take him out of the air, then Duo’s eyes went wide with fear when Wufei popped up from the middle where he began to glow like a hot ember while he glared at the people below. 

“NO!” Duo shouted rushing forward. “HERE!” he cried desperately and Trowa dove into the bag with Quatre right behind him. “Wufei!” Duo shouted when he began to spark, but the call and the fact that his friends were safely in the bag urged him to comply and they beat a path out of there the moment he was inside. A moment later they were dashing through the subway and skidded into a car just before the train took off. 

“Are you trying to get us killed?” Duo grumbled into the bag since they were the only ones in the car. 

“Sorry,” Trowa offered contritely while he helped Quatre out of the bag, “but it smelled so good,” he explained lighting on the armrest beside the blond. 

“You were supposed to be looking for the magic!” Wufei scolded smacking him on the back of the head as he flew by. 

“There was no magic there anyway,” Quatre sighed. 

“What was that back there?” Duo demanded of Wufei. “Why were you glowing red?”

“He’s my bodyguard,” Quatre explained. 

“Quatre is the heir to our kingdom,” Trowa elaborated. 

“You’re a…fairy prince?” Hiiro snickered. 

“I am a sprite,” Quatre sniffed haughtily. 

“Then where’s your kingdom?” Duo wondered. 

“Behind the veil,” Trowa explained. 

“The veil we need magic to open,” Wufei grumbled. 

Duo looked to Hiiro while Trowa cuddled Quatre close, but he seemed at a loss as to what to do next. However, before they could discuss it the doors opened and spilled a gaggle of kids into their car who were accompanied by a frantic looking woman and two teenagers who looked almost as haggard. The sprites darted for their bag the moment they came in, but Quatre was peering over the edge while his eyes sparkled merrily and his wings positively vibrated with excitement. 

“You like kids?” Duo inquired amusedly and Quatre’s wings flickered with delight. “Do you think they might have the magic?” Duo wondered to Hiiro, but all he could offer was a shrug. 

They followed the group when they got off soon after and found themselves in a school auditorium that was decorated and packed with proud parents. The stage was set with a scene from Bethlehem and there were little kids dressed as angels, shepherds and kings running everywhere. Duo smiled when Quatre giggled at a little girl who had noticed him, but she was so young all she did was smile and follow her parent as they went by. 

“This is it,” Duo insisted smiling brightly while he beamed at the busy scene. “The magic must be…here,” he stalled when he turned to find the softest expression in Hiiro’s eyes. 

His lips curled into a gentle smile while Duo openly gaped, then he offered him a seat along the isle. Quatre kept flitting around in the bag until Trowa rose up to try and clam him, but he too was captivated by the story unfolding on the stage. 

“Is it a play?” he asked after a time in which Wufei hung his head out too. 

“Yes,” Duo whispered. “It’s a reenactment of the story of Christ.”

“Christ?” Wufei echoed. “Like in Christmas?”

Duo nodded while he smiled at a small boy who was pretending to be a donkey. They watched for awhile until they came to the part about the star and Quatre twittered excitedly. 

“It’s the magic!” he enthused while Trowa did his best to keep him from flitting away. 

“Chill,” Duo chuckled. “That star isn’t around anymore.”

“The story is true?” Wufei wondered. 

“Well,” Duo considered, “there are a great many people who believe it really happened. Quatre!” he hissed when Trowa lost his grip and the blond rocketed toward the stage. 

At first no one seemed to know what to think as most questioned the appearance of flittering bit’s of light as part of the show, but as the children on the stage began to take notice things began to degenerate. Bright smiles appeared on their faces when they saw the sprites zooming around and abandoned their reenactment in favor of chasing after them. When the adults realized it wasn’t a part of the play they dashed forward with the intent of protecting their young while the sprites zipped this way and that. 

“Come on!” Duo shouted grabbing his bag, but Quatre seemed intent on gathering as many smiles as he could while he darted around pulling on pigtails and laying little kisses on the noses of stunned children. 

Duo couldn’t help but giggle at the utter chaos they were creating before Trowa finally caught up and tumbled Quatre into the bag with Wufei in hot pursuit. 

“That was insane!” Duo laughed as they scampered off down the sidewalk leaving the mayhem behind. 

“They’re so much fun!” Quatre giggled darting out to do a little spin in the air. 

“Did you find it?!” Duo asked happily, but his face drooped when Quatre shook his head and settled back in the bag. “I thought for sure…”

“What about a church?” Hiiro suggested. 

“They’re fairies, Hiiro,” Duo grumbled rolling his eyes when Quatre’s muffled voice countered…

“Sprites.”

“I doubt the clergy would be very open minded,” Duo concluded. 

“We know these people,” Wufei confessed. “They do not possess the magic we seek.”

“Let’s take a break and regroup,” Hiiro insisted while he hailed a cab. 

“Where are we?” Duo wondered when they arrived at a small shop on the water. 

“Cravers,” Hiiro smiled offering his hand while he climbed out of the cab. 

“You sure do like coffee,” Duo observed when he saw it was a coffee shop. 

“It’s the ambiance that I like,” Hiiro chuckled taking the bag to carry while he led him inside. 

Duo had to admit that the place was quite cozy with its rich smells and dark, wooden plank walls. There was a bar that offered coffee in just about every flavor of the rainbow and a glass case of sweets that made Trowa buzz inside the bag. They ordered, then tucked themselves away in one of the dark, little alcoves where the sprites dared to abandon their bag and have a snack while they worked on the problem. 

“Hasn’t anyone ever seen Christmas?” Quatre asked while he nibbled a bit of frosting. 

“It’s not something you can just find laying around on the street,” Duo sighed. 

“Well, there sure are a lot of people out there looking for it,” Quatre pouted. 

“Maybe we should forget about Christmas,” Trowa moped, but his melancholy didn’t appear to hurt is appetite as he was munching away on a peppermint brownie at the time. “Any kind of magic will do.”

“A magician?” Duo mused, but shook his head even as he suggested it. 

“I don’t think fortune tellers and magic tricks are going to help,” Hiiro chuckled sipping from his cup. 

“What is this stuff?” Wufei inquired as Hiiro had shared his drink with him by pouring some in his saucer. 

“Espresso,” Hiiro smiled having some more of his own. 

“It’s very warm,” Wufei commented looking a little odd while his wings began to softly glow. 

“Wufei?” Duo inquired not liking the red hue one bit, but the moment he spoke Wufei suddenly sneezed and blew bright red sparks out his nose. 

Quatre laughed when he did it again, but Trowa was standing at the ready when Wufei suddenly shot upward and bounced off a decorative lamp that was hanging from the wall. 

“Wufei!?” Duo gasped giving chase when he ricocheted around the shop then he hit a window and disappeared into the night. 

“Where’d he go?” Hiiro exclaimed when they hit the street, but didn’t see him. 

“He’s up there,” Quatre laughed purely rolling in the air while he held his stomach. 

Duo and Hiiro looked up where they saw a red glow flitting madly around a tall street light just before Trowa shot toward it. However, the moment he arrived the red spot attacked him and they bounced off each other several times before Wufei suddenly sped off down an alley. 

“What’s wrong with him!?” Duo asked excitedly while they ran off in pursuit. 

“I think his engines are overloaded,” Quatre snickered flying along beside them. “He’s always been sensitive to caffeine.”

“Why didn’t you say something?!” Duo gasped in stunned horror. 

“How was I to know it wasn’t just regular coffee?” Quatre giggled tumbling in the air in a fit of laugher when Wufei glanced off the walls as he rocketed down the ally and out of sight. 

“We have to find him!” Duo insisted taking off after him. 

“I’ll try to cut him off!” Hiiro shouted turning at the corner to speed off in another direction. 

“Wufei!” Duo breathed when he saw him sputter and flail about in a dark throughway, but before he could catch up to him Hiiro stepped around the corner and snapped him up in a jar where he growled and glowed bright red. 

“Oh, pish,” Quatre giggled lighting beside the jar while Trowa caught up and tried to catch his breath. “It’s your own fault.”

“Sorry,” Hiiro offered looking contrite when Wufei finally calmed, but he was still pulsing an angry red when he plopped down to sulk. 

“Are you alright?” Duo asked offering the corner of a handkerchief he’d wet in the snow. 

Wufei scowled at him, but snatched at the cool cloth and wiped his face whereupon the crimson glow began to dim. 

“We should keep moving,” Hiiro suggested noticing a police car that passed by down the street. 

The sprites were returned to their bag where they quietly rested while Hiiro and Duo made their way across town. 

“I never figured you for the nurturing type,” Duo commented as they walked. 

Hiiro flashed him a smile that almost melted his kneecaps and replied, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Duo nodded recalling the girl from earlier and tried not to look uncomfortable while Hiiro offered, “Thanks for the hard drive by the way, but you shouldn’t have gone to so much expense.”

“The usual office party gifts just seemed so lame,” Duo shrugged looking away when he saw the amusement in Hiiro’s eyes. 

“It was very thoughtful of you,” Hiiro insisted, but all Duo could muster was another shrug while he checked the traffic. However, his face reddened horribly when Hiiro offered, “Sorry about the panties.”

“You did that!?” Duo gasped while Hiiro laughed. 

“Sorry,” he reiterated. “I can’t help it if I love to see you blush.”

Duo froze solid for a moment, then stammered, “You…like to…”

“Yes,” Hiiro smiled stepping closer to him. “It’s the softest shade of rose,” he softly intoned while he ran one finger down Duo’s scarlet cheek and he shivered right down to his fluffy socks. 

“Hiiro?”

But before their mouths could touch Quatre suddenly flew out of the bag and hit Duo right in the chest. “What’re you doing?” he cried trying not to crush the sprite while he molested his sweater. 

“You’re hiding it!” Quatre accused while he sniffed him heartily. 

“What’re you talking about?!” Duo exclaimed brushing him off. “I’m not hiding anything!”

“It must be inside you,” Wufei commented coming to hover near his ear. 

“Can you still smell it?” Trowa wondered. 

“It was here!” Quatre insisted, “but it’s gone now,” he huffed relenting. 

“Let’s go to the square,” Hiiro suggested holding out his hand to Duo. “It’s almost midnight. Maybe the magic will come when Christmas gets here.”

“It’s coming!?” Quatre enthused. 

“In just about twenty minutes,” Hiiro smiled. 

“You shouldn’t get their hopes up,” Duo reprimanded gently as they walked along and watched the sprites flit from tree to tree in the park along the road. 

“It’ll be alright,” Hiiro promised squeezing his hand as he had yet to let go. 

“I hope you’re right,” he sighed, then creased his brow when he saw Quatre fly by, but there wasn’t any glow. “Hey!” he called heading after him. “What’s wrong?” he gasped when he found him kneeling on some ice that had formed in the parks drinking fountain. 

“He’s beginning to fade,” Trowa explained when he landed beside him, but his light was so dim it made Duo’s heart speed up. 

“Already?” he gasped in mild desperation, then looked up at the big clock that overlooked the square, but it was still five minutes till. “Hiiro?” he wibbled when Wufei sputtered in and stood over the couple protectively, but he was becoming difficult to see. “Hey,” Duo soothed while he scooped them up and held them close. “It’ll be alright,” he consoled though his eyes were already sparkling with tears when he looked into Hiiro’s steady blue gaze. 

He smiled so softly Duo couldn’t help but believe, then stepped forward and laid a warm kiss upon his lips whereupon the sprites suddenly flared as bright as a star and shot off into the air. 

“Wha?!” Duo gasped dancing around happily while they spun glittering circles around them. “What happened!”

“It _was_ inside you!” Quatre crowed smacking him in the face where he held on with his tiny arms and hugged him tight. 

“We just needed some way to bring it out,” Trowa grinned while he hovered and glowed brightly beside his head. 

Duo glanced at the smug expression on Hiiro’s face and smiled, “You knew.”

“I had a hunch,” Hiiro shrugged coming closer. “Quatre kept freaking out every time I saw it in your eyes.”

“Saw what?” Duo breathed while Hiiro took him in his arms and smiled…

“True love.”

The clock struck midnight just as he kissed him and the sprites lit up the air with sparkling pirouettes and glittering trails of light. 

Duo was smiling warmly when they parted, but he just had to ask, “What about your friend?”

“Relena?” Hiiro chuckled. “She’s my cousin,” he explained making Duo blush, which inspired him to smile and kiss him again. “I was helping her pick out a present for her boyfriend.”

“Oh,” Duo grinned, then claimed a kiss of his own. 

“Now we can go hooommmeeee!” Quatre crowed doing loopy loops in the air. 

“Home?” Duo echoed not seeming happy with the idea. “You mean back under the veil?”

“Yes,” Trowa replied coming to calm his excited counterpart. “We’ve been away for far too long.”

“How long?” Hiiro wondered. 

“Centuries,” Wufei grumbled. “There was no way to get back without magic and it seemed to have faded completely from this world.”

“So we decided to hibernate until it returned,” Trowa explained. 

“And you made it happen,” Quatre smiled. Duo chuckled while Hiiro tucked him close, but the sadness in his eyes called Quatre to him. “Do not despair,” he told him touching his cheek gently. “We will always be with you.”

“Really?” Duo sniffed happy with the thought. 

“Of course,” Trowa assured him. 

“You have the magic,” Wufei grinned. 

“As long as you have that we’ll always be able return,” Quatre promised. 

“For New Years?” Duo bargained, then laughed when Quatre inquired…

“What’s New Years?”

“It comes right after Christmas,” Hiiro explained. 

“Then we’ll be here!” Quatre exclaimed garnering one last hug of Duo’s cheek before they drifted away. 

Duo’s eyes lit up when the air beside them shimmered and parted revealing a brightly colored landscape thick with flowers and sparkles in the air. 

“We’ll be back,” Trowa promised smiling widely while he guided Quatre through the veil. 

“Wufei,” Duo called before he could disappear. “Watch over them,” Duo smiled making it clear he meant himself as well and Wufei smirked over his shoulder before he sped off into the light and the rift slowly closed. 

“Our grandkids are never going to believe the story of how we got together,” Hiiro laughed turning Duo in his arms. 

“Grandkids?” Duo snorted while he wrapped him up tight. “That’s going to be a little hard to pull off,” he observed noting that they were both male, but Hiiro’s response to this was to smile and glance at where the fairies had vanished while he informed him…

“It could happen,” and kissed him in a way that made Duo almost believe it could be so. 

owari :)

**Author's Note:**

> Write it, draw it, create it, sing it, SHARE IT. ~ Sunhawk 2019


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